Maybe I’m just being optimistic, but this probably isn’t a major deal. The NHL’s preseason games are similar to the NFL’s. They don’t serve too much of a purpose, and can provide dangerous situations where players can get injured in games that don’t matter.

That being said, this is still the first of what could be a few dominoes that could fall in the coming weeks. Training camp, which is scheduled to open Friday, will also likely be postponed. If there’s no new deal in place by Oct. 1, I’m guessing the regular season games will quickly follow.